WSP06590

• File Number: 8273.100
• Description: Colorado River Basin Salinity Control - Federal Agencies - Bureau of Reclamation
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 10/1/1982
• Author: DOI BOR
• Title: Salinity Update - October 1982 - A Quarterly Report on the Colorado River Water Improvement Program
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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water Irom the river by drying up seeps and
springs which presently recharge the river.
Over 70 people attended the
environmental seoping meeting held in
Farson, Wyoming. on Augusl18. Additional
envlronmentallssues identified included salt
accumulation in excess of Chevron's needs,
disturbance caused by pipeline maintenance
roads, and possible damage to geologic
formations caused by dr\lling. Concern over
the different timetables of the State and
Reclamation was alSO expressed. All
significant environmental issues will be
addressed In the draft planning
report/environmental impact statement. The
schedule for the investigation has been
accelerated. mostly as a result of Wyoming's
efforts to supply saline water to industry. The
agreement with Wyoming calls for a draft
statement in March 1984 with the final
document to be filed in December 1984.

USDA "Monitoring and
EvaluaUon Plan"

A USDA report has been completed on a
comprehensive long-range monitonng and
evaluation plan for assessing the effects of
the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control
Program being implemented by USDA in the
Grand Valley and Uinta Basin Units. The
recommended monitoring program will
provide the information to determine the
effectiveness of the USDA onfarm irrigation
improvement program in reducing salinity
and measuring the effects of irrigation
improvements on wildlife habitat and onfarm
income. The information WIll also be useful in
planning irrigation improvement programs.
improving system design, and providing
follow-up to many farmers on how to better
manage their irrigation systems.
The recommended USDA plan for ten
years of monitOring would cost abOut $2.6
million and entail about 48 work years. Maior
activities would include monitoring 3)
onfarm irrigation systems. inventorying
wetlands and wildlife habitat. economic
analYSIS of 10 onfarm budgets, and
basinwide monitoring analyzed and
presented in annual progress reports.

This plan is developed to be fully
coordinated with other state and federal

agencies and does not duplicate monitoring
that others are, or plan to be doing. The nex1
step is to obtain joint support of the plan by
state and federal agencies to secure USDA
funding for implementation.
Additional copies of the USDA report.
"Monitoring and Evaluation Plan," are
available from John Hedlund, Programs.
WNTC. SCS, 511 NW Broadway. Rm. 510.
Portland. Oregon 97209.

Senate Subcommittee Hears
Amendments
by Myron Ho/burt. Chief Engineer
Colorado River Board of Califorma
and en airman of Forum Work Group

On June 22. I testified before the
Subcommittee on Water and Power of the
Senate Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources in support of Senate Bill S. 2202,
which would amend the 1974 Colorado River
Basin Salinity Control Act. Subcommittee
Challman Senator Murkowski. Alaska.
presided at the hearing. Senator William
Armstrong (R-GO) was the principal author
and introduced the bill which was
cosponsored by Senators Hayakawa and
Cranston. California; DeCondni and
Goldwater, Arizona; Laxalt and Cannon,
Nevada: Wallop and Simpson. Wyoming:
Hart, Colorado: Hatch and Gam, Utah; and
Hatfield. Oregon.
The legislation would authorize six
additional salinity control units in addition to
the four units authorized by the 1974
Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act.
Public Law 93-320. The construction funds
authorized by the 1974 Act. indexed to 1982
price levels, amount to $243.000.000. The
proposed legislation does not increase the
total funds authorized to be expended by the
Secretary of the Interior. The bill permits the
Secretary to undertake activity on all ten
unIts. All components of all ten units cannot
be constructed within the available funding
but the new legislation would aliow the most
cost-effective components of each of the
units to be built. The legislation would give
the Departmen1 01 the Interior authority to
demonstrate new technologIes for
beneficially using and disposing of saline
water through jOint federal-private
development. These activities would be

accomplished under the Saline Water Use
and Disposal Opportunities Unit
A new Department of Agriculture program
would also be created, allowing the
Department to offer farmers, on a cost-share
basis, a program that will improve onfarm
irrigation practices thereby reducing salt
contribution to the river. These onfarm
salinity control measures have been
demonstrated, over the last eight years, to be
among the most cost..,ffective salinity
control strategies available. The new
program would be tailored specifically to the
needs of the salinity control program in the
Colorado River and authorizes the
expenditure 01 approximately $200.000,000
in these cooperative cost-sharing activities.
The legislation would also extend the cost-
shanng formula authorized by Ihe 1974 Act
to the additional units as well as to the
Department of Agriculture's onlarm
program; would permit the improvement of
those canal and lateral systems
interconnected with authorized units, with'all
but the salinity reduction work to be paid by
the water users who benefit; and would
replace incidental wildlife and other
environmental values that may be impaired
by construction of salinity control units.
The testimony by Administration
witnesses was mixed. The Department of
State and the Environmental Protection
Agency statements were favorable to the
concepts of the bill but deferred detailed
comments to the Departments of the Interior
and Agriculture. Interior supported the
concepts of the legislation and welcomed its
introduction; however, it did not agree WIth
the extension of the present cost-sharing
arrangements to the new units and
suggested specific cost-sharing
arrangements are needed that fairly
apportIons costs between the involved
parties. Also, the Department said it cannot
support authorization of additional units as
Proposed without completion of feasiblllty-
level planning reports.
The Department of Agriculture did not
offer specific comments on the legislation
but offered. after 1urther study. to submit at
some future date a complete Department
pOSition and recommendations. Agriculture
did express concem with the cost-Sharing
proviSions and the creation of a separate